Monday, March 01, 2010

Thoughts On Earthquakes.

"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." Matthew 24:7-8

In the first story I read about the latest Earthquake, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet was quoted as saying, "If there are more aftershocks, people in coastal areas should try to escape to higher ground."

Higher ground.

Those words jumped out at me, because they brought to mind similar words I remember reading in the Bible. I didn't remember where those words were, initially, and I had to do some extensive searching to find them, but here, in Matthew 24, they are:

15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

16Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

17Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

18Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

Flee into the mountains.

The story also brought to mind other Biblical predictions which referred to earthquakes and pestilences in diverse places in the last days.

Now, I'm not trying to make the point that we are living in "the last days". That's for each individual to interpret for himself.

I would like to point out, however, that one must bear in mind that Biblical prophecy does not refer to only those of us here in the United States alone. We know that, of course, but I think many times we Americans tend to relate Biblical prophecy in terms of America, and kind of forget God speaks to the entire world.

For example, often we hear some United States President or other American political leader being referred to as the antichrist. But, in fact, eschotological scholars all agree that that the antichrist will emerge from the Middle East.

Perhaps Kenya?

The aforementioned AP story also mentioned that the Chilean earthquake came on the heels of a strong earthquake that rocked Japan mere hours earlier.

This may or may not be significant, as Arizona State University Geologist, J. Ramón Arrowsmith points out, “From our human perspective with our relatively short and incomplete memories and better and better communications around the world, we hear about more earthquakes and it seems like they are more frequent...But this is probably not any indication of a global change in earthquake rate of significance.”

Or, I might add, of any Global Climate change.

Immediately upon hearing of the earthquake in Chili, I just knew some so-called scientists would blame Global Warming. So far as I know, they haven't yet. But, some non-scientists have, including leftist actor Danny Glover, and several commenters at the Huffington Post and Democratic Underground.

Not that the theory hasn't been posited by scientists in the past. They just haven't blamed these latest earthquakes on GW. Yet.

I don't know what point, if any, I'm making here. These are just some things I've been thinking of lately.

Perhaps they are worth discussion?

21 comments:

Timothy said...

Yes, it won't be long before the earthquakes are blamed on GW, and every other pet project of the left.

Krystal said...

Interesting Biblical correlation. Definitely food for thought. My Daddy, who had studied Revelation and end times extensively, said that many of the forewarnings were coming to pass. Although the anti-christ will come from the Middle East, he will be of Jewish descent in order to fulfill the prophecies of the coming Messiah. He will mimic Christ very closely. The anti-christ is also one of two people whose body satan actually enters, the other was Judas.

Anyway, the reminder to take the "higher ground" is always a good one for Christians no matter end times or not!

Always On Watch said...

I happen to believe that we're in the Latter Days, though no man can know the day or time.

Joe said...

Timothy: I just assumed GWB was at fault. I think I heard President BO say so.

Mark: We're in the last days, alright, it's just that we don't know how many of them there are.

One thing is sure: we are closer today than any man has ever been.

Mark said...

Yeah, Joe, I'd say you're pretty safe making that claim.

Jim said...

Hmmm. Is Kenya in the Middle East on your map? 'Cause it's not on mine.

Not that it particularly matters in this context since Kenya appears to be a random word in an otherwise pretty random post.

Mark said...

No, Jim. Kenya isn't in the Middle East on my map...but...did you click the link? You might not have noticed the word "Kenya" is a link.

I just threw it in because I thought it was funny. See, unlike Liberals, I have a sense of humor.

Krystal said...

Joe, "we are closer today than any man has ever been"

You sound like my Daddy. :)

Trader Rick said...

And tomorrow, we'll be even closer... I think.

Randy said...

Anything can be blamed on climate change.

Sitting watching snow fall here in SC, I sent a message to a co-worker in Mass. about global warming (more-than-slightly tongue-in-cheek. He replied:

"One of the side effects of polar warming is dilution of salt water that is affecting the Gulf Stream Current that warms the atlantic coast and england. As the atmosphere warms. england will get colder. So will the east coast."

I decided it wasn't worth continuing the conversation in any seriousness...

Jim said...

Actually, no, I didn't notice it was a link, probably because you have a number of different colored fonts with no underlining.

Be that as it may, I have HUGE sense of humor, but the Obama/Kenya bit is old even if it ever was funny. The fact is Barack Obama WAS born in Kenya. However, Barack Obama, Jr. was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Isn't THAT hilarious?

Trader Rick said...

As usual, Jim spurts out his verbal vomit with no thought behind it. There is no credible evidence in the public arena that would give us a clue as to where Barry Soetoro was born...Hawaii and Kenya remain the most viable guesses, tho.

What IS known is that a pale of mystery has been promulgated by the president's refusal to provide actual documents relating to his birth or transcripts of his school work.

Joe said...

I went to renew my Florida driver's license in January and had to take a certified copy of my birth certificate and two picture IDs (and my old driver's license did not count), as well as two proofs of residence.

I have to provide my birth certificate to drive. President BO can be president of the United States without producing his.

Do I detect some inconsistancy here?

Krystal said...

Randy, responding to my MIL in Florida comment regarding global warming while facing below freezing temps in Orlando I responded tongue in check as the following:

Global warming caused the ice caps to melt changing the airflow patterns and bringing in what cold air is left in the North Pole. Once all the cold air is blown out of the North Pole and Santa is looking for an air conditioner, you will feel the full effect of global warming.

Might I suggest purchasing another A/C unit ... just in case.


Jim, BO's grandmother IN KENYA, said she witnessed his birth AT THE HOSPITAL IN KENYA! She said it was "one of the happiest days" of her life.

But I'm sure she's just old and senile ... or a liar.

Joe, I said the same thing about enrolling my children in school and my son getting HIS license.

All I know is that the man has sealed his birth records, sealed his school records, sealed his college records.

Anyone with the IQ the size of a pair of shoes, and the common sense of the box those shoes came in, know he's hiding something.

That pretty much makes anyone who voted for him either obtuse or an idiot.

Mark said...

Jim, the reference to Kenya was done tongue in cheek. You know that I have, in the past, posted a blog entry wherein I concluded, using thorough research and the Constitution, that Obama is a natural born American citizen, so, that issue does not represent a viable reason for me to believe Obama to be unqualified for the office of President of the United States.

I do, however believe him to be unqualified to be President based upon his lack of character, lack of experience, his anti-American, un-American, socialist agenda, and the fact that he lies every time he opens his mouth.

Fredd said...

Biblical prophesies tend to be fairly genenal, and subject to all kinds of interpretations, but also tend not to come to pass.

Good ol' Nostrodamus, on the other hand, has a pretty decent track record of getting things right: he's calling for some serious trouble in 2012, isn't he? And isn't that when Barack Obama decides to blow off the 22nd Amendment and become King of America?

Mark said...

Fredd, are you crazy? All of the Biblical prophecies are detailed and accurate, and the only ones that haven't been fulfilled just haven't happened yet. Besides them, all Biblical prophecies have happened just the way the Bible predicted, and Nostradamus has been wrong many many times so far.

Fredd said...

Mark:

Crazy? Maybe. Biblical scholar, nope. Generally speaking, though, the Bible has called for pestilence, earthquakes, floods, plagues, on a scale that effects the entire world, all of sinful mankind is punished, where in the end just a chunk of Caanan gets hit. And voila, another biblical prophesy comes to pass. That is my take on biblical prophesies. How about the flood that God forwarned Noah about? Did that happen exactly as Noah feared? The entire world underwater, like in Kevin Costner's 'Waterworld?' Probably not. The event might have involved the Jordan River raising above flood levels, (like it does fairly regularly) and voila, another prophesy comes to pass. See how that works, Mark?

Nostradamus, wrong on many, many occassions, sure, but the stuff he got right is awesome.

Now that you've thrown down the gauntlet, Mark, I've got some research to do to debunk your two statements: 'All of the Biblical prophecies are detailed and accurate,' and 'all Biblical prophecies have happened just the way the Bible predicted.' Just like Noah's flood.

All of them. Every single one of them. My task is just to come up with a single prophesy that didn't exactly measure up to snuff. I'll find another one to add to the flood example.

It might take me a while, though, but I'm on the case.

Jim said...

And isn't that when Barack Obama decides to blow off the 22nd Amendment and become King of America?

And you believe he has the means and power (not to mention the intent) to do that?

Fredd said...

Jim:

He doesn't have the power to do ANY of the crazy crap that he is trying to pull off, yet we see it in front of our very eyes:

* a 'pay czar?' WHAT!!!??
* take over Chrysler and GM? WHAT!!???

Jim??!!! What are you, blind?

He seems to think he as the power and the intent to do ANYTHING.

Jim said...

Obviously. That's why we have universal health care, cap and trade, Guantanamo is closed, all troops are home from Iraq, etc. etc. Oh yeah, and personal ownership of GM and Chrysler.

All powerful Barach Obama.

By the way, what benefit does Obama get, personally or politically by approving a temporary majority ownership in two companies going bankrupt? What are his nefarious motives?

"He seems to think he as the power and the intent to do ANYTHING."

And you seem to believe anything that...well, anything. Without any evidence.